New years and new year's
on mottos and consistency
Hi there,
Happy New Year! By the way, you can say "happy new year" all January, as long as it's your first interaction with that person. Which checks out for me with many of you.
Instead of making new year's resolutions or setting specific (dare I say maniacal) goals, I like to assign a single simple motto to my calendar year. I operate more in the realm of: New year, same me...but with some new considerations.
Though I must admit I truly find the "new year" a somewhat fluid concept. With my birthday being relatively early in the scheme of things (February), I reflect on beginnings and mull over potential pursuits for well over a month before I embark on my own personalized new journey around the sun. In the past, I've also deemed the beginning of a year to be whenever I’ve affixed a calendar to my wall—let's just say that has varied greatly over time.
In 2024, my motto was: "Be self-inspired." I looked to my already existing interests and passions—some dormant, others covered in varying layers of cobwebs—for illumination. I re-read favorite books instead of trying to stay up with the times. A major reason this newsletter came into existence last year was due to that annual theme, one that was centered around re-discovering what sparked joy for me, giving me permission to remember that I love writing about food, family, or both—and then sharing that writing with others.
I always try to stack and compound the new years’ mottos I devise, hoping they set themselves more deeply into stone with each new January. In 2021, during the pandemic, right before vaccines became available, my motto was "Be flexible..." an acknowledgement that life often has a way of not adhering to your datebook, whether it’s analog or digital. I've also talked about an earlier motto "Feed myself and feed others" in my first newsletter post here.
Less than two weeks into the year and a very different disaster has hit communities I care about. I'm thinking of my friends in Los Angeles, some of whom might be reading this. It's been a horrific few days there....with so many losing their homes, sense of safety, and personal belongings—and with everyone dealing with incredibly toxic air. There are many donation links out there, but here's one geared towards helping musicians who've lost so much—their gear, archives, instruments, and livelihoods, on top of their homes. Sending love to LA as the wildfire catastrophe continues there without a definitive end—and sending love to anyone battling small or big fires wherever you are.
My motto for 2025 is "Consistency is key." This is something I'm planning to apply to many of my life "buckets," including to this lovely realm of connecting with you, this medium of words and photos, laced with salt and pepper (i.e. a food musing or two). Stay tuned: In addition to regular letters, there will be some fun initiatives and additions I'm looking forward to sharing in this space soon! Consistency means staying in touch with you all through these posts and exchanges. I've deeply appreciated your feedback and enthusiasm for Twirlable Pasta this past year, and hearing from you—whether in email/Substack form or when we happen to run into each other in the real world—is a real joy!
Consistency for me also means cooking more. Thanks to my parents, who, over the holidays, gifted us a very nifty blender, I'm about to enter my pureed veggie soup era. Little do they know they've provided me the most perfect present for maintaining desired levels of "consistency," a means for pulsing and blending my way towards living my 2025 truth.
Consistency applies to the way I think of my writing, music, and work pursuits. It also means consistency in connecting with the people who mean a lot to me, because in the end that's what matters most.
It's been a while since I shared anything about literal twirlable pasta, so here are a couple highlights from recent months. (How dare I have the authority to deem "Consistency is key" my maxim, if I can't even remain consistent with the title of my newsletter, regardless of its metaphorical nature?!):
Do you also come up with a theme or motto for your year? I'd love to hear from you anytime! If you write back to this email, I'll receive your message directly in my private email inbox. (Or, of course, leave a comment via the Substack app.)
Speaking of consistency and connection, I'm invited to my friend Marandi's house for dinner tonight, where she's already begun whipping together a mole sauce: an inspiration and crucial new life skill acquired from her recent trip to Oaxaca. The only other additional information I have is that her "special dream salsa" is also in the works—I'd better get going.
Have a wonderful week, and until soon,
Insia
I Love this one Insia , i hope you achieve your motto I think I’m going to apply that myself on certain things that I feel I should be more consistent on in my life because Consistency is Key hope you have a wonderful end of the week :)
At the start of 2025, and as part of our home makeover, I am in the middle of applying different types of drywall mud (eg, heavy vs light weight) to different surfaces in our living room (eg, popcorn ceiling, textured walls) and your “consistency is key” is super important to my new year’s task. I have to have consistency in regularly doing this work (how else will it get done!), in addition to working up a consistency of the mud, thickish vs somewhat runny, which depends on the type of mud and the surface being coated. Thanks for helping me put my mundane efforts into a universal framework!